Grant Opportunities
to Support Area Nonprofits
Nonprofit organizations are among our community’s greatest assets. They strengthen and enhance the lives or the people they serve. When nonprofits thrive, everyone thrives.
Nonprofit organizations can access a number of grant programs that are run by MCF staff or the fund’s advisory committees. Each grant program has it’s own application process, eligibility requirements and deadlines. All grant recommendations are approved by MCF’s Board of Governors before being awarded.
The Community Impact Fund
Grants from MCF’s Community Impact fund advance initiatives that have a long-term impact on our community and the lives of people living here. Grants are awarded within Dane County to strengthen innovative nonprofit programs and invest in initiatives that advance a more vibrant and equitable community.
- Arts & Culture: Grants build and support Dane County’s vibrant arts scene.
- Community Development: Grants enhance the quality of life by strengthening the unique natural and cultural assets found in Dane County, investing in neighborhoods, enhancing equity and building bonds among residents.
- Environment: Grants preserve natural spaces by supporting conservation, restoration, education and policy-making.
- Learning: Grants support public K-12 academic achievement and learning, out-of-school-time programs, GED-equivalent and transition-to-adult programs.
- Organizational Capacity Building: Grants strengthen the infrastructure and long-term impact of Dane County nonprofits.
Deadline for Letters of Inquiry is June 3
A Fund for Women
AFFW grants are available to Dane County nonprofits with a focus on women’s economic empowerment. AFFW strives to increase opportunities for education and family-sustaining jobs for women, especially those facing systemic injustice, including:
- Black, Latina, Hmong, Asian, Indigenous, LGBTQIA2S+, and those with disabilities.
- Single mothers ages 18-40 or girls with adult responsibilities.
- Those living in poverty or unstable economic conditions.
- Those adversely affected by poverty-wage jobs with weak benefits and low/volatile hours.
- Those who hope for a more stable future in which they can both provide for their families’ basic needs and save for future economic goals.
Deadline for Letters of Inquiry is April 30
Altrusa International of Madison
Altrusa International of Madison, Inc. is a women’s service club that has provided direct service and funding for community organizations since it was established in 1923. Altrusa awards grants for programs focused on literacy and education, including lifelong learning, parental involvement in children’s education, and for people returning to school, the workforce or for retraining.
- Help children and youth meet their full educational potential
- Expand opportunities for people returning to school or the workforce or for retraining
- Assist people in succeeding in school so that they are able to be self-supporting
- Foster parental involvement with their children’s schooling
- Focus on lifelong learning
Deadline to apply is February 1
Great Performance Fund for Theater
Great Performance grants support professional theater produced in Madison’s Overture Center for the Arts. Grants from this fund are not available to organizations who already have Great Performance Fund endowments at MCF.
- Have an equity contract.
- Have offered a minimum of three self-produced productions per year for two consecutive years.
- Pay a contracted fee and/or salary to two or more actors for each production.
- Pay a contracted fee and/or salary to at least one member of its support staff.
